Security camera systems are typically enclosed within protective outer housings. Most housings include a base portion and a transparent portion that is sometimes colloquially referred to as the camera bubble. The base portion encloses and protects the electronics and is typically used for mounting the security camera system. The transparent portion protects the optical elements of the security camera system while allowing the camera to capture images of the surrounding environment.
Often, the security camera systems are installed in uncontrolled environments that subject the security camera systems to large swings in temperature and large changes in ambient moisture. For example, a security camera system located to monitor a parking lot is exposed to freezing temperatures in the winter and high temperatures in the summer, in addition to rain and snow.
Moisture exposure combined with swings in ambient temperature can cause the internal or external surfaces of the transparent portion of the security camera system to sometimes exhibit misting in which water condenses on the internal or external surfaces of this transparent portion. This misting degrades the images captured by the camera by causing those images to be cloudy and blurred.
To address the misting problem, security camera systems will often have a condensation mitigation system. These systems typically take the form of heaters and ventilation systems that heat air within the security camera housings and flush air through the transparent portions in order to remove any misting, especially on the internal surfaces of the transparent portions of the security camera systems.
A couple of different approaches are used to control the operation of the condensation mitigation systems. One solution is to only monitor the temperature within the security camera system and then activate the condensation mitigation system when the temperature is such that the transparent portion could mist. An alternative approach is to install a humidity sensor within the camera housing to detect the humidity within the transparent portion of the housing. When the humidity reaches a threshold level, the condensation mitigation system is activated to prevent any misting of the transparent portion.